As the railway seeks to harness the benefits of digitalisation and the Internet of Things, the links between information technology and operational technology become ever-more intertwined. However, these trends are completely redefining the railway security environment as systems become vulnerable to new types of threats. Keith Barrow assesses how the industry is responding to the cybersecurity challenge.

German Rail’s (DB) new train IT platform is improving performance and efficiency by integrating two previously-separately hosted applications into a single system, explains Robert Blankenhorn, product solution manager with MEN Mikro Elektronik.

A study into the potential introduction of hydrogen fuel cell trains as an alternative to electrification of part of Toronto’s Go Transit commuter rail network recommends further development of the concept, as
David Briginshaw and Keith Barrow explain.

Korea’s latest high-speed line, the Gyeonggang line, has not only dramatically improved transport links to the northeast of the country, including the Winter Olympic venues, but helped to drive Korean railway technology forward, as Andy Tebay and David Briginshaw reveal.

Swiss Federal Railways’ (SBB) desire to reduce the energy consumption of its vehicle fleet has led to the development of a new lighter and more efficient onboard battery. Benedikt Vogel, on behalf of the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE), explores the intricacies of the SBB New Battery Technology project.

Florida East Coast Railway has become the first North American railway to adopt liquefied natural gas (LNG) as the fuel for its entire mainline locomotive fleet. William Vantuono outlines the reasons for the switch.

THE Danish resignalling programme extends to the Copenhagen S-Bane commuter rail network. Siemens is currently engaged in a €252m project to deploy CBTC across the 170km network and its 135 trains under a contract awarded in 2011. However, it has also faced delays and disruption, and the project is now on course for completion in 2021, three years later than originally planned.

Denmark’s ambitious national signalling replacement programme hit the headlines in November 2017 when the Danish government announced plans to push back the completion of the ERTMS element from 2023 to 2030. Kevin Smith looks at the current status of the project and where it goes next.

More than five years in the making, the Fourth Railway Package is a broad raft of reforms that seeks to significantly improve the competitive position of rail transport across the European Union. Keith Barrow assesses the contents of this key legislation and looks at the challenges facing its implementation.